2 Coríntios 5:10

It is not only the hope of God’s positive provisions that should motivate the Christian, however. We must also bear in mind that we will have to account for our works when we meet the Lord. Then He will reward His children on the basis of their deeds. This is not a judgment to determine whether we will enter heaven but one to determine to what extent He will reward us who enter heaven (cf. Romans 14:10-12; 1 Corinthians 3:11-15; 1 Corinthians 4:5; 1 Corinthians 9:24-27). [Note: See Zane C. Hodges, Grace in Eclipse; and Arlen L. Chitwood, Judgment Seat of Christ, pp. 25-34.]

"The imagery used here for the future moment of eschatological revelation is that of the forensic process whereby the Roman governor sat on his tribunal to hear accusation and defense of an accused person standing before him. If he judged the accused guilty, the governor would order immediate punishment. Paul’s use of this language to the Corinthians may have been calculated; he himself had stood accused before the Roman governor Gallio in the Corinthian agora some years earlier (Acts 18:12; Acts 18:16-17), as the original members of the Corinthian church doubtless remembered." [Note: Barnett, p. 275.]

"The term for ’judgment seat’ [Gr. bema] is a normal one for the raised platforms from which governors could issue decrees or judgments, including the particularly impressive one excavated in Corinth (Acts 18:12)." [Note: Keener, p. 181.]

The Greek word translated "bad" (phaulos) really means worthless. The idea is not that God will reward us for the good things we did and punish us for the bad things we did. He will rather reward us for the worthwhile things we did and not reward us for the worthless things we did (cf. Matthew 6:19-21; 1 Corinthians 9:24-27). The worthwhile things are those that contribute to the advancement of God’s mission and glory in the world. Worthless deeds are those that make no contribution to the fulfillment of God’s good purposes (cf. Matthew 25:14-30; Luke 19:11-27).

"The bad works are discarded as unworthy of reward but good works are rewarded. The penalty is limited to the loss of reward." [Note: John F. Walvoord, "The Church in Heaven," Bibliotheca Sacra 123:490 (April-June 1966):99. Cf. Hughes, p. 182.]

". . . believers do not face condemnation at Christ’s tribunal (see Romans 5:16; Romans 5:18; Romans 8:1) but rather evaluation with a view to the Master’s commendation given or withheld (1 Corinthians 3:10-15)." [Note: Barnett, p. 276.]

"Judgment on the basis of works is not opposed to justification on the basis of faith. . . . Yet not all verdicts will be comforting. The believer may ’suffer loss’ (1 Corinthians 3:15) by forfeiting Christ’s praise or losing a reward that might have been his." [Note: Harris, p. 349. Cf. 1 John 2:28.]

"The judgment seat of Christ might be compared to a commencement ceremony. At graduation there is some measure of disappointment and remorse that one did not do better and work harder. However, at such an event the overwhelming emotion is joy, not remorse. The graduates do not leave the auditorium weeping because they did not earn better grades. Rather, they are thankful that they have been graduated, and they are grateful for what they did achieve. To overdo the sorrow aspect of the judgment seat of Christ is to make heaven hell. To underdo the sorrow aspect is to make faithfulness inconsequential." [Note: Samuel L. Hoyt, "The Negative Aspects of the Christian’s Judgment," Bibliotheca Sacra 137:546 (April-June 1980):131. See also idem, "The Judgment Seat of Christ and Unconfessed Sins," Bibliotheca Sacra 137:545 (January-March 1980):38-39.]

". . . because much is required of those to whom much has been given, the thought of the judgment seat of Christ has for the Christian a peculiar solemnity. It is not meant to cloud his prospect of future blessedness, but to act as a stimulus, as strong a stimulus as the most imperious of human ambitions; for the word philotimoumetha, translated we labour (RV ’we make it our aim’), means literally ’we are ambitious’." [Note: Tasker, p. 82. See also Wall, pp. 31-38, for a fine popular explanation of judgment at the bema.]

Another notable feature of this verse is that Paul ascribed the role of judge to Jesus Christ, whereas in Jewish depictions of the judgment day Yahweh is the judge (cf. John 5:22; Romans 14:10).

Throughout this section, contrasts between the Spirit-imparted viewpoint on life and the natural viewpoint stand out. Some of the Corinthians were criticizing Paul because they were looking at his activities from the human viewpoint and were projecting that point of view onto him. They were concluding that he viewed life as they did. For their benefit he drew these contrasting views of life clearly.

The extent to which we view life from Paul’s spiritual viewpoint will be the extent to which we do not lose heart in our ministry.